# \[Recommendations for\] Sleep \[aids\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027 "2010-09-25T17:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/21 "2010-09-26T04:39:24Z")
Whew. Melatonin has never worked for me and I thought I must be a freak, because so many people tout it. Now when people say it works for them, I can point out to them that they’re retarded. (I may possibly still be a freak, though.) ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/22 "2010-09-26T11:25:24Z")
I use melatonin, I love it. The bottle I bought has 3g pills along with Valerian root extract, and all I need is half a pill and a place to sleep and I’m out 20 minutes later. The caveat though is if I manage to stay awake for half an hour after it kicks in then it stops working and I never get to sleep. I don’t know what that study is talking about, I do shift work and melatonin is invaluable in helping me get to sleep. I have also read somewhere that the pills only affect something like 50% of the population, so I’m not surprised that it doesn’t work at all for some people. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/23 "2010-09-26T11:34:40Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > Diphenhydramine tends to make me hyper but I’ve had good results with occasional use of Chlorpeneramine (Brand name: Chlor Trimeton.) Huh. Chlorpheneramine is the antihistamine I take if my allergy symptoms are driving me nuts but I can’t afford to be drowsy! I’ve always thought of it as a ‘happy medium’ between Benadryl (which works really well but tends to make me very sleepy) and stuff like Claritin, which doesn’t make me sleepy at all, but doesn’t seem to alleviate my symptoms much, either. Chlorpheneramine works really well on my symptoms, and while it might make me a _little_ drowsy, it never makes me feel like maybe I shouldn’t drive or something. ---
**Author:** ![maisoui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@maisoui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maisoui)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/24 "2010-09-26T11:46:53Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > Hmm. Either a .5 mg dose of melatonin does wonderful placebo effect for me, or I’m retarded. A toss up. > What’s a “secondary sleep disorder”? > I find that Valerian root extract works for me, too. I’m one of those people who occasionally gets the wall-climbing crazies from Benadryl and its ilk. IANAD, but secondary sleep disorder refers to problems with sleep caused by outside issues, such as the OP’s mention of money problems where worry would keep him awake… I came into the thread to mention Valerian root myself. My husband had similar problems with sleeping due to thinking too much about his worries, and this really helped him. It took a two or three days of small doses to have effect but once it kicked in it worked really well. Edited to say that it was available in the herbal supplements area of the chain drug stores. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/25 "2010-09-26T14:32:00Z")
I have occasionally used a product like Excedrin PM, but only if I’m really in a situation where I know sleep will be difficult. I don’t like any of them, as I hate that druggy feeling in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/26 "2010-09-26T16:18:35Z")
Watch yourself closely if you try valerian… while its soporific effects were very strong for me (much stronger than melatonin’s), it made me angry the next day. ---
**Author:** ![koufax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@koufax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koufax)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/27 "2010-09-26T17:59:53Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > > [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > > > I take doxylamine, which is in with the otc sleep aids and is cheap. Works great for me. > > My sister and I both occasionally use doxylamine, which is sold under the brand name Unisom. If you’re going to try it, though, _make sure_ what you have is doxylamine. The Unisom liqui-gels, for instance, are dyphenhydramine (Benadryl) as are just about every other OTC sleep-aid. The unisom worked great! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/28 "2010-09-26T18:38:41Z")
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime and Tension Tamer teas. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/29 "2010-09-26T19:28:20Z")
All this talk of herbal remedies, figured I’d at least mention MJ. Not exactly cheap (or legal), but it has been known to make some people sleepy. Probably not the answer you’re looking for though… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/30 "2010-09-26T19:38:33Z")
> [@wheresmymind](#): > > All this talk of herbal remedies, figured I’d at least mention MJ. Not exactly cheap (or legal), but it has been known to make some people sleepy. Probably not the answer you’re looking for though… Right but (as I mentioned somewhat cryptically in Post 8) marijuana makes many people sleepy for a few hours, but then they wake up unable to get back to sleep. Not the best sleep aid for practical use. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/31 "2010-09-26T20:38:36Z")
I’m a lifelong insomniac, but I started taking melatonin a few years ago and I haven’t had anything but occasional sleeping problems (usually situational) since. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/32 "2010-09-27T06:34:50Z")
I use OTC generic Unisom (=doxylamine succinate) and have done so for well over a year, including everyy single night I know I need to wake up for sure the next morning. It’s very effective for me, but I find it leaves me a bit beclouded in the mind every time, but not so distressing for me to have considered avoiding these little blue pills. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/33 "2010-09-27T10:53:39Z")
I’ve gotta say, I’m confused by the studies showing melatonin isn’t effective as well. I’ve used it at different points in my life during times when I’ve had trouble sleeping and I’ve found it’s very effective. I’d be surprised if what I’m experiencing can be explained by a placebo effect, but I guess it’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/34 "2010-09-27T16:20:51Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > Whiskey. > > anyway. > I can’t touch it or I would. Wouldn’t work well anyway - it might make you fall asleep but the sleep quality will be poor and you’d tend to wake up early anyway. [http://www.sleepdex.org/alcohol1.htm](http://www.sleepdex.org/alcohol1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/35 "2010-09-27T16:55:46Z")
> [@maisoui](#): > > > [@capybara](#): > > > > Hmm. Either a .5 mg dose of melatonin does wonderful placebo effect for me, or I’m retarded. A toss up. > > What’s a “secondary sleep disorder”? > > I find that Valerian root extract works for me, too. I’m one of those people who occasionally gets the wall-climbing crazies from Benadryl and its ilk. > > IANAD, but secondary sleep disorder refers to problems with sleep caused by outside issues, such as the OP’s mention of money problems where worry would keep him awake… > > I came into the thread to mention Valerian root myself. My husband had similar problems with sleeping due to thinking too much about his worries, and this really helped him. It took a two or three days of small doses to have effect but once it kicked in it worked really well. > > Edited to say that it was available in the herbal supplements area of the chain drug stores. Ah yes - if worries are part of what’s keeping you awake, something to listen to as you try to relax might be a good option. I have gone through bouts of nighttime wakeups, where I’d run to the bathroom, go back to bed, and the brain would start stressing about stuff. This pretty much became a non-issue when I started playing a podcast from the iPod - I’d lie on one side, plug an earbud into one ear, start up something interesting but not fascinating, and sometimes I wouldn’t even remember the second sentence. It just gave my brain something else to focus on while sleep overtook me. ---
**Author:** ![LegsAkimbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@LegsAkimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegsAkimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/36 "2010-09-27T17:13:50Z")
To echo a post above, meditation or the like may be a good alternative to ingesting anything at all. If you have an iPhone or Touch (or probably other devices), there are many, many super apps out there that help induce sleepiness (I know, since I either have or have tried most of them…). Paired with small noise-canceling earbuds (of the type you can lie on and not feel, if you are a side sleeper), they can be helpful. Sometimes I listen to ocean waves or crickets or rain. Or one of the relaxation guided meditations. Or the one that gives you tones for breathing in and out–slow, deeper breaths can be relaxing and the regularity of the tones is also relaxing. One of these things always works for me–though I don’t use it every night. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/37 "2010-09-27T17:21:29Z")
I used to get good results with L-Tryptophan. I don’t take it now on the advice of my doctor because it could interfere with other stuff I have to take. At least for a while it was illegal because of some bad side effects, which turned out to have been actually caused not by the L-Tryp but by a contaminant in some batches imported from (big surprise) China. I don’t know if it is permitted now or not. I had previously tried other OTCs, including Benadryl-types. That was when I found that the active Benadryl ingredient makes me unable to sleep at all! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/38 "2010-09-28T01:58:37Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > > [@koufax](#): > > > > anyway. > > I can’t touch it or I would. > > Wouldn’t work well anyway - it might make you fall asleep but the sleep quality will be poor and you’d tend to wake up early anyway. Only if you drink too much. That is somewhere around 2 drinks, **ymmv**. My MD actually suggested a single glass of red wine or dark beer before bed. Of course, just one glass may not put you to sleep either. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/39 "2010-09-28T03:02:15Z")
Do you know why you have insomnia? If it is sleep apnea, drugs aren’t going to help any and will just make things worse. Blue light therapy in the morning does help me fall asleep more easily, but it takes a week or so to have an effect. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027/40 "2010-09-28T09:23:37Z")
I tried melatonin in varying strengths (.5mg or less) but during all occasions it produced a interrupted sleep pattern where I may wake up 7 to 8 times a night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-sleep-aids/555027.md?page=1)